How to Win the $500M NAWCAD Enterprise Engineering, Operations and Hosting Services Contract

Introduction

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) is seeking a contractor to provide enterprise engineering, operations and hosting services for its information technology (IT) infrastructure. The contract is expected to have a base period of seven years and an estimated value of $500 million. This article will provide an overview of the contract, its historical background, the requirements and evaluation criteria, the potential competitors and the challenges that bidders may face.

Historical Background

The NAWCAD Enterprise Engineering, Operations and Hosting Services contract is a follow-on to the NAWCAD IT/IM Support Services contract, which was awarded to Booz Allen Hamilton in 2016 for a base period of five years and four option years. The current contract provides a range of IT services, such as network engineering, system administration, cybersecurity, cloud computing, data center management, help desk support and software development. The contract supports NAWCAD’s mission to deliver high-quality, affordable products and services to the naval aviation enterprise.

RFP Description

The new contract will continue to provide similar IT services as the current one, but with some changes and enhancements. According to the sources sought notice issued by NAWCAD in March 2020, the scope of work includes:

• Enterprise engineering: designing, developing, testing, implementing and maintaining IT solutions that meet NAWCAD’s business and technical requirements.
• Operations: providing day-to-day operational support for NAWCAD’s IT infrastructure, including network, servers, storage, databases, applications and end-user devices.
• Hosting: providing secure and reliable hosting services for NAWCAD’s data and applications in various environments, such as on-premise, cloud or hybrid.

The contract will also require the contractor to comply with various standards and regulations, such as the Department of Defense (DoD) Risk Management Framework (RMF), the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-53.

The RFP for the contract is expected to be released in June 2021, with proposals due in August 2021 and award expected in December 2021. The contract will have a base period of seven years, with no option periods. The contract type will be a single-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) with firm-fixed-price (FFP) and cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) task orders.

Who Should Participate

The contract is open to any contractor that can demonstrate relevant experience and capabilities in providing enterprise engineering, operations and hosting services for large-scale and complex IT systems. The contractor must also have a Top Secret facility clearance and personnel with Secret or higher security clearances. The contractor must also have a proven track record of delivering high-quality IT services within budget and schedule constraints.

The contract is expected to be highly competitive, as it offers a long-term and lucrative opportunity to support NAWCAD’s IT needs. Some of the potential competitors include:

• Booz Allen Hamilton: the incumbent contractor that has been providing IT services to NAWCAD since 2016. Booz Allen Hamilton has extensive experience and expertise in IT engineering, operations and hosting for various DoD customers, such as the Navy, the Air Force and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).
• Leidos: a leading provider of IT solutions for the federal government, especially in the defense and intelligence sectors. Leidos has a strong portfolio of IT contracts with the Navy, such as the Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN), the SeaPort Next Generation (SeaPort-NxG) and the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic (NIWC Atlantic) Service Management Integration and Transport (SMIT).
• SAIC: another major player in the federal IT market, with a focus on digital transformation, cloud migration, cybersecurity and data analytics. SAIC has several IT contracts with the Navy, such as the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) SeaPort Enhanced (SeaPort-e), the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Engineering and Technical Services (ETS) and the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC Pacific) Information Technology Support Services (ITSS).

Challenges

The bidders for the contract will face several challenges in preparing their proposals and delivering their services. Some of these challenges include:

• Technical complexity: the contract will require the contractor to provide IT services for a diverse and dynamic set of systems, platforms, applications and users. The contractor will have to deal with various technical challenges, such as interoperability, scalability, performance, availability, security and compliance.
• Cost efficiency: the contract will require the contractor to provide IT services at a reasonable cost that meets NAWCAD’s budget constraints. The contractor will have to balance the trade-offs between quality and cost, and optimize the use of resources, such as personnel, equipment, software and cloud services.
• Innovation: the contract will require the contractor to provide IT services that support NAWCAD’s mission and vision of delivering innovative and cutting-edge solutions for naval aviation. The contractor will have to demonstrate its ability to leverage emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, blockchain and 5G, and apply them to NAWCAD’s IT challenges.

Conclusion

The NAWCAD Enterprise Engineering, Operations and Hosting Services contract is a significant opportunity for any contractor that can provide high-quality, reliable and secure IT services for NAWCAD’s IT infrastructure. The contract will require the contractor to have relevant experience and capabilities in IT engineering, operations and hosting, as well as a clear understanding of NAWCAD’s mission and needs. The contract will also pose several technical, cost and innovation challenges that the contractor will have to overcome. GDI Consulting is a leading provider of capture and proposal services for government contractors, with a proven track record of winning federal IT contracts. GDI Consulting can help you prepare a winning proposal for the NAWCAD Enterprise Engineering, Operations and Hosting Services contract by providing market research, bid strategy, proposal development, color team reviews and more. Contact us today at www.gdiciwins.com to learn how we can help you win this contract.